Events

The book traces the trajectory of filmmaker Robert Kramer, from his early films made in the United States in the late 1960s, closely tied to his political activism, to his later cinematic essays produced in France in the 1990s.

His work is inseparable from his life. Through these pages, a portrait of the filmmaker gradually emerges. His engagement with the world took shape through his films, which he saw as “campfires in the night.”

May these pages rekindle their embers.

Dear Vivian,

Since our first meeting two years ago, I have been wanting to reconnect with you to organize an event dedicated to your work. During the “Contre-chant: collective struggles, feminist films” program, curated in collaboration with the Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir, I was struck by the enthusiasm and generosity with which you share moments and films. Around you gathered women who deeply impress me—your friends, artists, committed figures—relationships you have managed to sustain over time, despite the life of constant movement you have always led.

The inspiration you represent for me resonates with the momentum building around this retrospective. Céline Sciamma, invited by the Centre Pompidou, will symbolically pass the baton to you in the mK2 theaters. The collections of the Musée national d’art moderne, in partnership with AWARE, are joining us for a conversation on your work as a filmmaker and programmer, as well as your support for video preservation in Brazil. We are also joined by the team from the Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir, which promotes your films within its catalogue. Light Cone, of which you have been a member since the cooperative’s early days, will accompany us in closing the retrospective, centered on your selection of experimental works—a form of cinema you both practice and champion.

What can I say, Vivian, other than a heartfelt thank you for your unwavering dedication, your trust, and the opportunity to share this with the public. I very much look forward to it.

With all my friendship,
Marion Bonneau
Programmer